Information
for Prospective Transfer Students
Whether you are
still only considering transferring to UCSB, or you have already been admitted,
there is much you can do now to smooth your transition and maximize your
success upon arrival. It's
very important that you contact our Undergraduate Advisor as
early as possible. We pride
ourselves on being one of the most supportive departments on campus. So if you send an unofficial
transcript, we can evaluate your work and tell you what you have out of the
way, and what you still need to complete.
Our email address is ugrad@math.ucsb.edu.
A brochure that
gives a broad overview of the different mathematics majors is available here:
A Guide to Our Majors [PDF]
The pre-major
requirements for each specific major are here:
http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/Catalog/Current/CollegesDepartments/ls-intro/math.aspx?DeptTab=Undergraduate
There is a great
deal of overlap between these, and you may change your mind later, but it is
vital that you've made good progress towards at least one of the pre-majors
above.
The UCSB Mathematics General Catalog
gives full descriptions of all our courses; you can view it here:
UCSB Mathematics General Catalog
If you are
attending a California Junior College, you can see the equivalents of the
courses here:
www.assist.org
We strongly
recommend that you complete as much of your pre-major as possible before
transferring. This is because of
the 200 unit rule
which says that
'Students who are admitted as juniors and remain continuously enrolled will be
allowed 6 regular quarters at UCSB' i.e. you have two years to finish the
degree. In mathematics, unlike
some other subject, most classes are linearly ordered, each one serving as
prerequisite for the subsequent one.
Completing the degree in two years is not easy.
One of the most
crucial courses, and the one that is not offered at many California Junior
Colleges, is the equivalent of UCSB
Your school
probably offers courses in both Differential Equations and Linear Algebra. At UCSB, these topics are intermixed,
with both topics appearing in Math
4A and in Math 4B.
For that reason,
if you take only one of these two subject at your school, you will probably
need to take both Math 4A and Math 4B at UCSB. It is best if you can complete both Linear Algebra and
Differential Equations before you transfer (Alternately, you may more easily find courses which
transfer as the equivalent of Math 6A
and Math 6B).
Be sure to check out the
STEEM Scholarship
if you are in need of financial assistance.
General advice
about what to expect when you transfer to UCSB:
What to Expect When You Transfer